Abstract
An experimental and numerical investigation was undertaken to characterise the collapse of 3D orthogonal woven carbon fibre composites during the load cases of in-plane tension, in-plane compression and out-of-plane bending. Two different fibre architectures, varying only by the density of through-thickness reinforcement, were investigated. Cantilever beam tests were carried out to isolate two distinct collapse mechanisms, i.e. bending governed and shear governed deformation. A qualitative comparison was made with a similar UD-laminate material. 3D woven composites exhibited significantly reduced delamination. An investigation into the efficacy of an embedded element modelling strategy for in-plane tension, in-plane compression and out-of-plane bending load cases was undertaken. The predictions were generally in good agreement with the experimental measurements for both in-plane and out-of-plane loading.
Highlights
Three-dimensional woven composites contain woven textile reinforcement with yarns orientated along the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis
This is consistent with the behaviour observed by Gerlach et al [21] for an orthogonal 3D woven carbon composite material tested with fibres orientated ±45o to loading direction
Localised delamination is shown in short cantilever beam tests, in long beam tests the failure mechanism is a large tensile crack and compressive buckling of longitudinal fibres at the clamped end
Summary
Three-dimensional woven composites contain woven textile reinforcement with yarns orientated along the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis. The research presented here adopts the cantilever beam test in order to activate two distinct collapse mechanisms for 3D woven carbon/epoxy composite materials. It provides a clear analysis of the progression of the collapse event throughout the test coupon. The unit cell, composing of fibre (beam) elements and matrix (beam and rod) elements, was imparted with an enforced displacement in order to extract the non-linear properties These properties were translated to homogenous solids for use in the structural analysis for tensile, compressive and shear mechanical behaviour up to failure. Quasi-static (2mm/min) uniaxial material coupon tests were conducted on the Full TTT 3D woven composites, in order to determine the in-plane mechanical properties under tension and compression. The tensile and compressive tests in the ±45o orientation were performed in a way that warp and weft tows lay at ±45o to the loading axis
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